Solder-fusing machine.



C. W. GRAHAM.

SOLDER FUSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.26.19H.

1,152,110. PatentedSept. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET (247465 [4. 6' rah 11w W 12 1M, MWr/m,

C. W. GRAHAM.

SOLDER FUSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-26, 191x.

1,152,410,, PatentedSept. 7, 1915;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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CHARLES W. GRAHAM, or NEW YORK, N. Y'., ASSIGNOR 'ro AMERICAN CAN coMPANY, 0E NEW YORK, A CORPORATION or NEW JEEsEY.

SOLDER-FUSING ACHIN To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, CHARLEs W. GR'AHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing 1n New York, in the county of New York and;

State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Solder-Fusing Ma-.

My invention relates more particularly'to.

that type of machine adapted tooperate on rectangular shaped cans, or as they are commonly termed in the art, sardine cans. But it will be apparent that the structure may equallyas well be adapted for usein connection with other forms and shapes of cans. I

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby the seam to be fused is simultaneously subjected to heat and pressure between two surfaces, one a heating pressure surface and the other a cooling pressure surface, these pressure surfaces being so arranged that the seam is substantially entirely free or out of contact with any surface except at a progressivelytraveling minute area or point which is undergoing the heating and'pressing step. I

I-Ieretofore, it has been customary to fuse solder seams either by applying heat to the entire seam at once, which heats the can and the contents and gases within the can, if it be filled, and whereby the entire seam'is simultaneously heated under pressure, or

means have been used to progressively fuse the seam minute area after minute area, but in this method as in the former, oneentire side of the seam at least is in contact with one of the pressure devices, while the fusing and setting is being accomplished. Each of the foregoing old methods'ofsoldering has disadvantages, in that the cans operated upon are not always hermetically sealed,

owing to the imperfect fusing of the seam at some point. One of the essentials for an efficient fusing machine, especially for one that operates on filled cans, is that each minute area of the seam must be practically Specification of Letters Patent.

simultaneously fused and paradoxical as this Patented Sept. "3, 1915. Serial o. 667,778, I

set and cooled, may at first appear, and the body of the can and its contents must not have their temperature raised to any appreciable extent, otherwise the gases within the can will be expanded and produce leaks or pin holes.

One form of a machine which I have shown in the drawings for carrying out the object of my inventiomand whereby a particularly effective and eflicient operation is obtained, comprises a carrier preferably continuously rotatable about a horizontal axis, and provided with a plurality of pockets on the'periphery thereof, each pocket being adapted to receive a can having a cover attached thereto to b efused, and in which the carrier acts as the lowerpressure surface during the fusing operation, a heated combined pressure and fusing roller rotatable aboutlan axis'parallel to the axis of rotation of the carrier, the surface of the roller and the carrier being preferably tangentially disposed relatively to each other, and hence contacting substantially on a single line only. -Both the carrier and the roller are preferably positively driven, and each pocket of the carrier may be provided with an ejector.

My invention furthermore consists in the improvements in the parts and devices and in the combinations of parts and devices herein shown and described or claimed.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a 'sideelevation of a machine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the structure disclosed in Fig. 1, with one of the tables removed. Fig.3 isa detail section, taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

'In the drawings, 10 represents any suitable framework upon which the movable of the'cans being operated upon-,-those in the drawing being shown as rectangular, and havmg the diagonals thereon arranged parallel to the side edges of the rim 14:. The

lot

- carrier 13 acts as thelower or cooling'pressure surface for the cans being operated upon, said surface being curved; Each of the pockets 16 is provided with an e]ector 17, normally held inward as by means of a spring 18 encircling the stem 19, and held As shown, the carrier is'provided with two sets of rectangular pockets, and has also two in, place as by means of the pin 20.

cams or e jectors 21, each extending inwardly I from a portion of the frame andadapted to operate the ejectors 17. Also mounted in the frame 10 inv slidable bearing blocks 22 is a rotatable shaft23, having keyed thereto maybe heated by any suitable means, as for instance, gas jets 27 extended within the c linder or roller. The axis of the roller is arranged substantially parallel to the axis of the carrier 13, and the roller 24; is held in engagement with the periphery or rim 1 f of the carrier, and aswill be. obvious, contacts the same substantially only on aline parallel to the said axes e The cans may be fed to the pockets in the carrier by any suitable means, or by hand,

' andI have shown a table'28from which the cans may be fed to the carrier from one side of the machine, and a table 29: adapted to receive'the cans as they are ejected from the carrier on the opposite side. The table 29 is also preferably provided with a chute 30 adapted to catch the cans and slide thesame onto the table.

The carrier may be positively rotated alone and the roller 24 frictionally driven through contactftherewith, but I prefer to have the roller Qlalso positively driven as by meansof the sprocket chain 31; driven from a gear 32 on'ithe shaft 11, andvwhich in turn drives thegear 33 keyed to the shaft -22. i

It "will be apparent that :the seam or flanges of the can-body and can :cover, as they are operated uponby the roller, will be engaged on the line of contact between the "roller 9A and the carrier 13,- and that the remainder of the seam or flanges will be out of contact with either the rim of the carrier 13 or the roller 24:, thereby providing a structure in which thelpfused seams of the can bodies are exposed to the air on both sides and allowed to cool practically instantaneously after the seam has passed from "contact between the carrier and'the-roller.

The machine is adapted'to fuse the seams between various forms of can'bodies and covers, but the same has been particularly devised for use in connectionwith sardine cans, in which the flange of the body is provided with a coating of solder and the flange of the cover is bent around or tucked over the body flange.

Various changes may be made in the details of the structure shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all such changes are contemplated as fairly come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim I 1. A-fuslng machine of the character described comprising, in combmationz a fusing device; and a movable cooling pressure device having a curved pressure surface cooperating with said fusing device, said pressure device having a pocket therein within which a can or other article is adapted to be seated and carried bodily by said pressure device past said fusing device, substantially as specified.

2. A fusing machine of the character described, comprising in combination: a fusing device; an axially rotatable cooling pressure device consisting of a hollow cylinder having means thereon for carrying a can or other article, exposed to the air on both its inner and outer sides, bodily past said fusing device; and means for axially rotating said cooling pressure device, substantially as specified.

3. In a can fusing machine, the combination with a fusing and pressing roller, of a rotatable cylindrical carrier having a can body receiving pocket in the circumference thereof and means for directly supporting the can flange in opposition to the fusing roller, said roller and carrier being rotatable about parallel axes and arranged substantially tangentially to each other.

4. In a can fusing machine, in combination, a pressure roller and a rotatable cylindrical carrier having a can body receiving pocket in the circumference thereof, the surface of said carrier forming a curved pressure surface for one side of the seam to be soldered, and coiiperating with the pressure roller to act progressively on a constantly changing minute area of the seam.

5; In a can fusing machine, the combination with a pressing and fusing roller, of a rotatable cylindrical carrier having a plurality of' can body pockets in the circumference thereof, said carrier and roller being rotatable about parallel axes and tangentially arranged relatively to each other, said carrier having a curved pressure surface adapted to cooperate with the roller while fusing the can seams.

6. In a can fusing machine, the combination with a carrier rotatable about a horicarrier and normally yieldingly engaging said carrier.

7. In a can fusing machine, the combination with a carrier rotatable about a horizontal axis, and provided with a can body receiving pocket in its circumference, and.

having a curved pressure surface, of a combined pressure and fusing roller arranged tangentially. to said carrier and normally yieldingly engaging said carrier.

8. In a can fusing machine, in combination, a rotatable cylindrical carrier provided With can body receiving pockets in the circumference thereof, the surface of said carrier serving as a curved cooling pressure surface for the seams being operated upon, and a combined pressing and fusing roller mounted tangentially relatively to the carrier, each of said pockets of the carrier being provided With an ejector.

9. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a'carrier rotatably mounted on a horizontal aXis, and provided with a plurality of can body recelving pockets 1n the circumference thereof, the cylindrical CHARLES W. GRAHAM.

Witnesses:

W. D. FOSTER, lVAL'rnR HENRY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

